New Twin Peaks Series To Have “Unusual” Release Pattern

Showtime didn’t reveal anything in the way of plot details about writer/director David Lynch’s new Twin Peaks series at the Television Critics Association Fall preview, but they did re-emphasise how unusual the whole project is turning out… and suggested that there’ll be an unusual release pattern to suit that, hinting heavily that episodes would be over the traditional hour long format.

It’s already well known that Lynch has directed the series like a massively long movie, without specific episode start and end points. He’s now in the process of cutting the thing – along with writing partner Mark Frost – into a number of episodes… and no, Showtime didn’t even reveal how many episodes that would be.

What Showtime did confirm was that Twin Peaks is looking at a launch in the “first-half to midyear, the early side of mid-year 2017.”

“Everything about Twin Peaks is going to be unconventional — unconventional in the handling of it and how we put it out in the world and how we market,” said Showtime CEO David Nevins. “I want to embrace the unusualness of it, and I think it is quite possible we’re not going to do a traditional release pattern. I don’t know exactly what that means yet. I’ve had a couple of conversations with [Lynch]. I can definitely see longer episodes or the question of how we release it linearly and for those who want to stream it.”

Programming president Gary Levine admitted that he and Nevins have seen the uncut footage are were very excited by it. “We were both instantly transported,” he said.